Jiroft Culture - "Jiroft culture" has been postulated as an early Bronze Age (late 3rd millennium BC) archaeological culture, located in what is now Iran's Sistan and Kerman Provinces. The hypothesis is based on a collection of artifacts that were confiscated in Iran and accepted by many to have derived from the Jiroft area in south central Iran, reported by online Iranian news services, beginning in 2001.

Many artifacts associated with Jiroft were recovered from looters described as "destitute villagers" who had scavenged the area south of Jiroft before 2001, when a team led by Yousef Madjidzadeh began excavations. The team uncovered more than two square kilometers of remains from a city dating back to at least the late 3rd millennium BC.

Jiroft is a city Kerman Province, Iran. Jiroft is located in a vast plain, Halil River, on the southern outskirts of the Jebal Barez mountain chain, surrounded by two rivers. The name "Jiroft" has recently become known in archaeological circles, after Iran's Cultural Organization announced the discovery of remains from an ancient city buried near the current city of Jiroft, leading to theories proposing the remains belong to a forgotton culture known as the Jiroft civilization.

The Jiroft artifacts, which were delivered to the Iranian embassy in London last week, have been returned to Iran.

London Court of Appeal made a ruling last Thursday that the city's Barakat Gallery must return Iran's historical artifacts smuggled from the ancient site of Jiroft.

The ancient artifacts consisting of two jars, five cups, six vases, one bowl, one dish and three weights have been returned to the Iranian Embassy in London to be sent to Iran after seven years, IRNA reported.

The collection of 5,000-year-old artifacts was smuggled from Iran's southeastern site of Jiroft in a period of 3 years from 2001 to 2004.

In March 2007, London's High Court rejected Iran's ownership of the artifacts that had been put up for auction at the Barakat Gallery.

Iran's Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (ICHTO) appealed to London's High Court to review the file of Jiroft relics.

The Court demanded 100,000 Euros as bail for reviewing the file, which was accepted by the Iranian government. Since then, Iranian officials have made serious attempts to return the priceless artifacts.

Jiroft is located near Halil Roud historical site, which is widely believed to have been one of the first places where civilization emerged.

The objects found in the area might reveal many aspects of the Persian civilization and other cultures that flourished in Mesopotamia in the third and fourth millennia BCE.

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Public Plunder of Jiroft Artifacts Resumes - In January 2001 a group of Iranians from Jiroft in the southwestern province of Kerman stumbled upon an ancient tomb. Inside they found a hoard of objects decorated with highly distinctive engravings of animals, mythological figures and architectural motifs.